Great blue heron capture huge bullfrog. Photo by Cathy Navarro, Livermore, CA
Gary:
I went camping at Lake Camanche, CA, this past weekend and took this photo of a great blue heron eating a bullfrog right in front of our campsite in the Peninsula campground. Thought you might like to run this photo.
Cathy Navarro, Livermore, California
Cathy:
What a great shot! People rarely get a chance to observe a great blue heron capturing a bullfrog, let alone get a photograph of it! Nice going!
At over 4 feet tall (50+ inches) great blue herons are the largest (and most beautiful, in my opinion!) heron in the U.S. and with that long, sharp, sword-like beak, they can tackle just about anything, including this HUGE bullfrog. With their long legs, they wade through shallow water, spearing and feeding on frogs, aquatic insects and fish. They also commonly hunt on dry land, looking for small birds, mammals, lizards, snakes and anything else that moves, wiggles or crawls.
They are also frequently spotted in marshland areas around the San Francisco Bay Area. I regularly see one as I travel between Walnut Creek and Benicia, hunting in the large marshy area around the Marina Off-ramp off of northbound Hwy. 680, just before the Benicia Bridge.
Back in the days (1970s) when I used to run the wildlife rescue center at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, CA, I required all my volunteers to wear heavy gloves and unbreakable clear plastic face shields when caring for the occasional injured great blue that was brought to our center.
I didn’t want anyone to end up like this bullfrog! /Gary
